Shadows and Dreams
by Amase
Summary: The Master Chief returns on a failed mission, resulting in the slaughter of his entire squad. Through his anger, what will Cortana do to stop him? Revival of lost memories? Read and find out!**Short Story-R/R!**


Ok peeps, I haven't done a whole lot of video game stuff, so here's a short Halo fic I tried out. Give it a shot, and review it pleeeze!! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The dropship hummed as it touched the metallic pad on the UNSC ship the Pinnacle. It recently went into service in the fight against the malevolent Covenant army, and served well as a refuge, as well as a fort during battles.  
  
A ping rang through the harbor as it touched down, and a loud clank was heard moments after. Skittish marines made way as the Master Chief stormed to the air lock, angrily punching in keys to equalize the pressure.  
  
"Access denied," the AI voice declared.  
  
With an angry growl, the Chief punched it in again, this time with more voice.  
  
"Access, denied," the AI repeated.  
  
With a thunderous roar the Chief slammed his hand into the keypad, releasing a series of sparks. To everyone's relief, the emergency air pressurizer was initiated as the doors slid open.  
  
A soldier who witnessed the Chiefs terrifying temper, went and spoke to the pilot who was on the ship.  
  
"What happened?" he asked shocked. "I don't think the Chief has ever been this upset."  
  
"The Chief and his squad were shot down on a mission in the outer colonies by a group of Elite Covenants and began combat on one of the worlds. They were unprepared, and Chief lost his whole squad."  
  
"How many?" the soldier questioned.  
  
"Thirty-four as I recall," the pilot replied. "All pierced with plasma bullets, minor injuries, but the plasma must've been toxic or something. They managed to hold off the Elites and get off the planet, but they all died on the return. He signaled me after an emergency landing."  
  
"Aw man," the soldier sighed. He shook his head and walked away.  
  
The pounding of the Chief's feet shook the dorm rooms around the narrow hall. He reached his own room, and punched in the code. And to everyone's relief, he only had to do it once. The doors slid open and he walked in as it slammed shut. He was breathing heavily, and with an angry yell, fell to his knees and rammed his fists into the steel floor. As he did, Cortana's chip fell lose and plopped in front of him. Her holographic image appeared in front of him, and she shook her head.  
  
"Ow! What was that for Chief?" she complained, but immediately stopped. She could tell by the dents in the floor something was wrong. She looked up at him, and even through his forest green helmet, she could see the pain engulfing him.  
  
"Chief..Chief what happened?" she asked looking at him.  
  
For a moment he didn't speak, he remained fixated at his imprints smashed into the cold, steel ground. Finally, she heard his voice crackle through his COM link.  
  
"All of them.." he whispered as he continued to stare at the ground. "All of them.dead.they're all dead!"  
  
"What? You mean from the outer colonies mission? But how? There were no traces of any threats on my scanner and I-"  
  
"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME!?" he roared as his voice echoed through the room. "IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU SENSED SQUAT! WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU COULD SENSE A COVENENT BATTLE SHIP ANYWAY!? THEY'RE UNDETECTABLE ON OUR SCANNERS!!"  
  
Cortana cast her eyes to the ground the Chief was right. Covenant battle cruisers were undetectable on human radars and scanners. Because Covenant troops were not common in the outer colonies, she had been careless and hadn't stayed alert.  
  
"Chief I'm so sorry..." she said shaking her head, not turning her gaze away from the ground. "I didn't know..."  
  
"Well what's past is past isn't it Cortana?" he said sarcastically.  
  
"Look Chief, I'm sorry but I didn't know-"  
  
"I don't care! You should've been alert!"  
  
"Stop being imaginative! We can't change what happened!"  
  
"Well who else is to blame!?" he growled.  
  
"Chief!" she said in shock. "Don't talk like that! What would Kelly think?"  
  
Suddenly, the Chief's heavy breathing stopped. He looked up at the AI and shook his head. "Please Cortana...don't bring Kelly into this."  
  
"What about Sam?" she asked him, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Him neither..." he growled. "They would call me a stupid fool! I always said I'd never lose. Their deaths still haunt me!"  
  
"But you're not a stupid fool!" she exclaimed. "Sam and Kelley always believed in you, were always there to pick you up, and you forgot what they always said!"  
  
"And what was that?" asked the Chief.  
  
"You can do it John," she replied, but the voice did not belong to Cortana. It was the soft, sweet voice of his best friend Kelly, combined, with the tough, yet kindly voice of his teammate Sam.  
  
The Chief was in awe, and at first the name "John" seemed strange to him. "Since the day he assumed the rank as Master Chief, that was his name, and John, what he once was, slowly faded into shadow.  
  
He sighed deeply as he remembered his best friends. Those were the years when the Spartans dominated this war, when the Covenant cowered beneath their power and appearance. Those were the years when there truly was hope. When there truly was a purpose.  
  
He nodded to the AI and smiled through his helmet. "You're right Cortana," the Chief said. "I understand now."  
  
"They're always with you Chief," she smiled. "Maybe not in your HUD or you COM link, but they thrive in your heart."  
  
The Chief got to his feet and nodded to the AI. He turned to his window and looked at the ever bright stars of space. The Covenant had taken everything from him. His friends, his home, his soldiers, and his fellow Spartan warriors. But they could not take his pride. He stood there silently, observing the crystal bright stars as they twinkled and thrived.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Ok, I kno there might be some wrong stuff in here, cuz I haven't finished the game, but I have read the book. Please read and review! 


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